Learn to crochet · lesson 10 of 12 · about 25 minutes

Magic ring and crocheting in the round

To crochet in the round, start with a magic ring (an adjustable loop you pull shut) or a few chains joined into a ring with a slip stitch. Then you work round and round instead of turning. Each round is either closed with a slip stitch or carried straight on as a spiral.

Step by step

1. 1The easy start: a chain ring

   Make 4 chains. Put the hook into the first chain you made, yarn round hook, and pull through the chain and the loop on the hook. That slip stitch closes a small ring. (Some patterns start with more chains, such as 6 or 8.)

2. 2Work into the ring

   Chain 1 (it lifts the hook to the height of the stitch and doesn’t count as one), then work 6 double crochet (US single crochet) into the hole in the middle, not into the chains themselves. Push the stitches round the ring as you go.

3. 3The magic ring

   Lay the yarn tail across your palm and wrap the working yarn round two or three fingers so the strands cross. Slide the hook under the first strand, catch the second strand and pull it back through to make a loop on the hook. Slip it off your fingers, keeping its shape. It can feel fiddly: practise on scrap yarn.

4. 4Stitches into the magic ring

   Chain 1, then work 6 double crochet into the ring. Make sure each stitch goes round both the ring and the tail. Then pull the tail firmly: the centre closes up, with no hole.

5. 5Join the round

   Slip stitch into the top of the first double crochet to close the round. Don’t turn. Chain 1 to start the next round, and keep working with the same side facing you.

6. 6Grow the circle

   Round 2: 2 double crochet in each stitch, so 12. Round 3: *1 double crochet in the next stitch, 2 in the next*; repeat round, so 18. Each round adds 6 stitches, and that keeps the circle flat.

7. 7Joined rounds or a spiral

   Joined rounds end with a slip stitch, which makes colour changes easy but leaves a faint seam. In a spiral, used for most amigurumi, you skip the slip stitch and go straight into the first stitch of the next round. Put a marker in the first stitch of each round and move it up as you go, or you’ll lose your place.

8. 8Secure the tail

   Pull the magic ring tail tight once more before weaving it in. Simply Crochet suggests weaving it through the stitches of round 2 and beyond rather than round 1, so the ring can’t loosen.

Check your work

• Rounds 1, 2 and 3 have 6, 12 and 18 stitches.
• The circle lies flat, without cupping or rippling.
• With a magic ring, the centre is closed with no gap.

Common mistakes

Your magic ring opens up again.

Pull the tail tight and weave it in securely, going through several stitches beyond the first round.

You can’t tell where the round started.

Use a stitch marker in the first stitch of every round and move it up each time.

The circle cups like a bowl or ripples like a frill.

Count each round. In double crochet a flat circle gains 6 stitches every round, as in the steps above, so check you’ve made every increase and no extras.

The first round looks lumpy and tight.

You’re working into the chains of the ring. Put the hook through the centre hole instead.

How much yarn for a crochet hat →

Sources: simply-yarn.com, simply-yarn.com, lovecrafts.com, lovecrafts.com, blog.bellacococrochet.com, craftyarncouncil.com, craftyarncouncil.com, crochetspot.com. Written in UK terms; the US name is in brackets the first time a stitch appears.